• Speech Sciences
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.141-156
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• 1998

In the previous studies, some characteristics of flaccid dysarthria patients have been studied mainly in two aspects: their difficulties in articulation and their metrical dysfunction. Therapeutic research on the articulation impediment of the patients have been carried out extensively (Yorkston, 1981). However, their phonetic characteristics have been less well-studied. The aim of this paper is to measure and describe some phonetic differences between the normal speaker group (six speakers) and the flaccid dysarthria patient group (six speakers in three different degreed of severity). Two types of short sentences comprising of subject-object-verb, i.e. declarative and yes-no question sentences, were recorded to investigate some phonetic characteristics of these two groups of speakers. The two groups (normal group vs. patient group) show differences in yes-no question boundary tone (H% vs. HL%), pitch range (wide vs. narrow), duration (short vs. long) and intensity (strong vs. weak) of sentence final verb endings in Korean.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.91-98
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• 2012

The purposes of this paper is to study the characteristics of compared to the speakers voice without depression and speakers with depression, and to propose a objective method for the measurement of the therapeutic effects as well as for diagnostics of depression based on the characteristics. The voice samples obtained from 11 female speakers with depression, aged from 20 to 40, diagnosed as having major depressive disorder by an psychiatrist were compared with those from 12 normal controls with matched sex, age, height, weight, education, smoking, and drinking. The voice samples are taken by a portable digital recorder(TASCAM DR-07, Japan) and analysed using the MDVP(Multi-Dimentional Voice Program) software module from CSL(Computerized Speech Lab, kay elemetrics, co, model 4100). The result of the investigation are as following. First, the average speaking fundamental frequency and loudness range of the speakers with depression group was statistically significantly lower than that of the control group. The pitch range of the control group was rather higher than that of the speakers with depression group, but without statistical significance. Overall speech rates have no statistical difference between two groups. Second, the average speaking fundamental frequency and loudness range have statistically significant negative correlation with Beck Depression Inventory, i. e. more severe depression exhibits lower average speaking fundamental frequency and loudness range. Other vocal parameters such as pitch range and overall speech rate have no statistically meaningful correlations with Beck Depression Inventory.

• MALSORI
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• no.41
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• pp.1-18
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• 2001

The purpose of this paper is to slove problems with English pronunciation education and to correct the misbelief that misbelief that English pronunciation can be thught effectiverly by native speakers or good speakers. Best sellers have many mistakes even in the description of sounds and most English education departments in national universities teach English phonetics theoretically only for 1 semester, More than 10 years' investigation into native speakers' and good speakers' teaching methods in various ways confirmed that they couldn't know English phonetics teachers should have a theoretical and practical knowledge of phonetics of English and students' dialects and the abilities to find the same or similar English sounds their students can make in normal or abnormal situations, to make both correct sounds and incorrect ones their students can make and to make them perceive the differences by using various ways.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.177-189
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• 2008

This study was to investigate diadochokinetic (DDK) rate, regularity and mean flow rate of articulation valves in dysarthria. DDK rate, mean airflow rate (MFR) and regularity of DDK syllable repetitions of vocal function /ihi/, tongue function /ta/, velopharyngeal function /bm/, and labial function /pa/ in 24 normal and dysarthric speakers were measured. Aerophone Ⅱ and Motor Speech Profile were used for data recording and analysis. The results of the findings were as follows: First, there were significant differences between the dysarthria and the normal group in DDK rate. DDK rates in ataxic dysarthria were the lowest and spastic, flaccid, and hypokinetic dysarthria followed in sequence. Second, there was a significant difference between the dysarthria and the normal group in DDK regularity. Third, there was a significant difference between dysarthria groups and normal group in DDK MFR. Finally, there was a significant difference between the 4 groups of dysarthria and the normal group in DDK air flow tracking. The results of this study can be guidelines for normal DDK rate, regularity and flow rate in dysarthria groups. In addition, their differential diagnoses and descriptions are important to make a decision on medical and behavioral management of the individuals with disorders according to DDK characteristics.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.89-99
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• 2005

The purpose of the present study were (1) to assess differences in tongue performances and speech intelligibility between normal and dysarthric speakers; and (2) to analyze the possible interrelationships between tongue strength, range of motion, and speech intelligibility in dysarthric patients. In order to measure maximum strength of anterior and lateral tongue strength, a force transducer has been designed. And a ruler was used for guaging range of motion. 'Word intelligibility test' was administered to each group. The results were analyzed by a quantitative statistical method(t test, Pearson product- moment correlation, and one-way ANOVA). The results were as follows; (1) dysarthric speakers showed significantly poorer performance than the normal in the tongue strength, range of motion, and speech intelligibility tasks; (2) the correlation between speech intelligibility and instrumental tongue performance was high in the dysarthric group; and (3) instrumental assessment was coincide with perceptual judgement of dysarthric tongue performance. The present investigation demonstrated that tongue weakness is causally related to articulation deficits in dysarthric. The clinical use of the force transducer would help a speech pathologist to quantify the degree of tongue weakness.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.157-177
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• 1998

An electroglottography (EGG) was used to investigate the function of the vocal folds during their vibration. In this study, four Korean native speakers and 10 vocal polyp patients were selected. To investigate the dynamic change of EGG waveforms for the three-way distinction of Korean stops, a DSP-Sona graph model 5500, a Rino- Laryngeal stroboscope, a CSL model 4300B and a Laryngograph were used. An EGG Model 4338 was used to exam the vocal polyp of patients' voices during high, low, comfortable pitch production. The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of Korean stop consonants in relation to pitch and to observe laryngeal movement during vocal fold vibration and speech production. The basic data accumulated during this research can be applied in clinical treatment. The results are as follows: on the Korean stop consonants, the aspirated stop is the highest in the GOT and PC1. On the angle of vowel contour, the angle of lenis is smaller than the angle of heavily aspirated and glottalized stops. The fundamental frequency is lowest at the lenis stop, In vocal polyp patients', the low pitch range is smaller than in normal speakers'. The pitch break and the vocal fry were observed. The jitter and OQ value are higher in vocal polyp patients than in those of normal speakers'.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.45-51
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to compare disfluencies and speech rates (overall speech rate and articulation rate) of normal adult speakers who use the standard Korean according to dissimilar speech tasks (story-telling and text-reading). Participants were 100 Korean adult speakers. The results are summarized as follows: First, the most frequent type of disfluency in the story-telling task was 'interjection', whereas that in the text-reading task was 'revision'. Second, the overall speech rates (syllables per second and syllables per minute) showed significant differences depending on the speech tasks. Third, the articulation rates (syllables per second and syllables per minute) showed significant differences depending on the speech tasks.

• MALSORI
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• no.52
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• pp.1-14
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• 2004

In this study, we investigated acoustic characteristics of imitated utterances by a professional voice imitator, focusing on prosodic properties such as vowel formants and f0 distribution. To see the patterns of a voice imitation by a professional voice imitator, we compared the imitator's voice data with target speakers' voice data. The professional imitator, Mr. Bae produced utterances imitating the former President Kim's, the comedian Choi's, and the singer Bae's voices. Auditorily, the imitator was judged to imitate all the target speakers' voices successfully. However, acoustic examination showed that the imitator was better at imitating the singer Bae's voice in that the imitator's and the singer Bae's voices are more alike with respect to vowel formants and f0 distribution. We infer this is because the imitator's normal voice is very similar to the singer Bae's voice. On the other hand, the imitator's voice data showed that the patterns of vowel formants and f0 distribution found in the imitator's imitation voices of the other two target speakers were different from those of target speakers' voices.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.37-44
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• 2015

This study investigated the effects of the age of Korean speakers, place of articulation, and phonation types on voice onset time (VOT) of stops. Twenty-five preschoolers, 25 schoolers, and 25 adults who had no history of speech and language impairment produced plosives in /VCV/ words in isolation. A three-way ($3{\times}3{\times}3$) mixed design was used with the age of speakers (preschoolers, schoolers, adults) as a between-subject factor, the place of articulation (bilabials, alveolars, velars) and phonation types (plain, tense, aspirated consonants) as a within-subject factor. The dependent measure was the VOT values. Results revealed that three main effects were statistically significant. Preschoolers exhibited longer VOTs than adults (p<.05). There were significant differences in VOTs among the place of articulation, showing that speakers had the longest VOTs for velars (velars > alvelars > bilabials) (all p<.05). In addition, the VOTs for aspirated consonants were longer than those for plain and tense consonants, and the differences were significant among three phonation types (aspirated > tense > plain) (all p<.05). The current results suggested that VOTs would be linked to age and development, and schoolers over the age of 11 years had achieved adult-like VOTs. Moreover, the place of articulation and phonation types in Korean stops showed marked factors in normal speakers' VOT patterns.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.95-102
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• 2008

Multiple physical changes of the larynx and its components occur with age. Vocal pitch, commonly expressed through measures of fundamental frequency (Fo) relate to physical conditions of the larynx. Available data is lacking for the senescent voice, and should be applied to the of changes of elderly speakers' Fo characteristics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the Fo of normal elderly speaker's voice. A total of 406 normal elderly speakers (207 males and 199 females) participated in this experiment. Age ranged from 60 years to 89 years. The subjects were asked to produce sustained corner vowels (/a/ /i/ /u/) three times each and the data were analyzed using the MDVP of CSL. According to the results of this study, the mean Fo from the ages of 60's to 80's shows 143.95Hz(SD 13.94) for men and 185.42Hz (SD 15.29) for women. For men, a significant change is found as a function of age in the Fo (F=16.181, p<.05). A post-hoc Scheffe test revealed significant differences between the Fo data of subjects aged 60's and 70's, 60's and 80's. For women, a significant change is found as a function of age in the Fo (F=49.013, p<.05). A post-hoc $Scheff'{e}$ test revealed significant differences between the Fo data of subjects in their 60's and 70's, 70's and 80's, 60's and 80's. The Fo of men goes up from their 60's to 80's gradually, whereas the Fo of women goes down gradually until their 70's, and after their 70's it again increases. It has been known that diminishing estrogen levels in women in old age may be a factor in lowering Fo, whereas diminishing testosterone levels in men may contribute to a rising Fo. This result may be used as some meaningful guideline and lead the basic data to differentiate between normal aged voice and aged voice disorders.